In 1994, Microsoft signed a consent
decree with the Department of Justice that provides
Microsoft would not enter into any license agreement
that:

Exceeds one year in
duration

Restricts OEM ability to offer a
non-Microsoft operating system

Is a per processor
license

Conditions license upon licensing
of any other Covered Product

Contains a minimum
commitment

Is contrary to descriptions of
acceptable per system licenses

Contains any prohibited
non-disclosure agreement

Microsoft has suggested this defeat
was somehow a victory, and was in fact no finding of
liability. Attorney General Janet Reno saw things
differently, and said so on July 16, 1994:

"Microsoft's unfair contracting
practices have denied other U.S. companies a fair chance to
compete, deprived consumers of an effective choice among
competing PC operating systems, and slowed
innovation."

The Assistant Attorney General in
charge of the Antitrust Division, Anne K. Bingaman,
expressed a similar sentiment:

"Microsoft is an American success story but there
is no excuse for any company to try to cement its success through unlawful
means, as Microsoft has done with its contracting practices."